Leaders in Fargo-Moorhead communities of color work to bust COVID-19 vaccine myths – INFORUM

Many are waiting to see the results in people they trust, said Hukun Dabar, executive director of the Afro American Development Association. He postponed his Johnson & Johnson vaccine until June 20.

For myself, I took a lot of time to get the vaccine, because I was doing research. When I heard of blood clots, I also didnt take it, Dabar said. Out of more than 6.8 million Johnson & Johnson doses in the U.S., six cases of blood clots were the main catalyst behind the federal government's pause of the one-shot vaccine in April.

Dabar and others including ESHARA, a conglomeration of seven new American nonprofit groups, and the Immigrant Development Center in Moorhead are working with the North Dakota Department of Health to produce a video to dispel vaccine misinformation and encourage vaccinations.

The video will not only focus on Fargo, but also other cities across North Dakota, said Alicia Belay, public health specialist with the Health Equity Committee.

About 50.6% of North Dakota residents had received one dose of vaccine as of Friday, June 25, according to the state Department of Health vaccine dashboard. Broken down by race, 56.4% of white residents had gotten one dose, 50% of Asian residents, 47.5% of Native American residents, 40.8% of Hispanic or Latino residents and 34.6% of Black residents.

Dabar said some unvaccinated people are falling prey to misinformation, such as false rumors circulating in Fargo-Moorhead that the vaccine contains pork products (a deterrent to Muslims who heed religious dietary restrictions) and that people vaccinated will die within two years.

Some people of color have also been hesitant because they believe the vaccine came out too quickly, or they harbor suspicions because of the unethical Tuskegee syphilis study done by the U.S. government from 1932 to 1972.

They want one person to stand for them, one person who gets the shot and then they will see how they feel and then follow them. Everybody was sharing their pictures to motivate the community to say they need to get the vaccine, Dabar said.

Fowzia Adde, executive director of the Immigrant Development Center, worked with the states Health Equity Committee in producing the video. She received her vaccine in May, and since then shes been compiling photographs and video clips to include in the video that will be shared on social media.

The project is focused on local communities of color, but New Americans, Native Americans, Norwegians, I dont mind helping them. I have a big heart, Adde said.

The message she hopes to convey is that the COVID-19 vaccine is safe. Were doing an educational campaign in which we are going door to door and telling them how the vaccine is made and telling them the stories and lies that are circulating are not true. Then we show them some evidence door by door, Adde said.

Some people they have visited showed resistance to getting vaccinated. The ones that dont want to hear about it will shut the door on us, but its about one person for every 10 people. Our community is coming together, Adde said.

Kiamya Philson, North Dakota's health equity immunization coordinator, said she's helping to produce the video that she expects will be made public within a month. Were working on different projects to do a survey on what the hesitancies are, and then directly target those hesitancies and make sure everyone has equitable access to vaccinations, Philson said.

One obstacle for some new Americans is transportation to and from a vaccination site, Philson said. Language can also be a barrier, so the video will be translated or recorded in various languages.

Were trying to make sure every avenue is clear to make sure people can get vaccinated comfortably, Philson said.

Despite a lull in vaccinations over the past month, Dabar feels positive that numbers will soon rise.

Im optimistic about it. So many individuals are going to get it because right now we have the resources. People are taking their time to think about it, if they should take it or not, but if someone they know gets it and they have no problems, then I think many people will get it, Dabar said.

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Leaders in Fargo-Moorhead communities of color work to bust COVID-19 vaccine myths - INFORUM